Thursday, February 17, 2011

Homemade Hydroponic Bubbler System

If you've ever thought about purchasing a hydroponic system for gardening, but were scared off by the high prices for commercial versions, you might want to consider building your own "bubbler" version. With a little effort, a little money, and a little patience it's pretty simple to build on on the cheap.

Things you'll need:

plastic container with lid

plastic tubing

air stone

air pump

nutrient

net pots

I purchased a basic container used for storage for $10 at my local Lowes store. I am using the 18 liter size, but I think a 10 liter size would also work. A smaller container will make it a little easier to move it once it's filled with water if you need too.

The plastic tubing, air stone, and air pump can be purchased at a pet store or the local Wal-Mart for another $10 or so.

The nutrient is the key to any type of hydroponic system, so you'll likely want to spend most of your budget on quality hydroponic nutrients. As a low cost budget alternative, I have been experimenting with fish emulsion and bone meal with good results.

I purchased the net pots at the local Worms Way store for less than $3. They come in a variety of sizes. I chose the 3 inch posts for growing peppers.

Cutting the holes in the lid turned out to be the most difficult part of this project. I don't have a lot of power tools, so I did it the hard way (with a butcher knife). I do not recommend you do it that way. It's very likely you could get injured. If I make another one, I'll make a trip to Home Depot to purchase a hole saw to make cutting the holes easier and much, much safer.

Hydroponics is new to me and this is just a just for fun experiment, so I'm afraid I can't provide many tips or tricks regarding nutrients. I started out using 5 tablespoons of fish emulsion, 5 tablespoons of bone meal, and 5 tablespoons of micro nutrients for hard water purchased from Worms Way. I'm sure it's overkill, but the growth of the peppers has been phenomenal. I changed the water every 10 days for the first month and lately I've been changing it every 14 days or so.

The picture above is 3 weeks old at this point. The peppers are much bigger now and the roots are tremendous. I've been surprised with the growth. The roots are 6 inches long and getting longer. Aerating the water seems to be working very well.

I've been doing some more research and reading on the web and have learned that once established, peppers will actually produce more fruit if the nitrogen source is reduced significantly. Apparently, too much nitrogen creates more plant growth and less fruit production. Based on what I've been reading lately, with less nitrogen and proper pollination conditions, the peppers should begin producing more fruit.

I've cut the nutrients back to 2 tablespoons of fish emulsion, 2 tablespoons of bone meal, and 2 tablespoons of micro nutrients. This seems to be working. The plants have been flowering like crazy since I've cut back, but I don't have any peppers yet. Pollination where are you?

I'm open to suggestions if you have any to offer. I'm sure there are many others with more experience than I that can point out the error(s) of my experimental methodology.

Amateur Hydroponic Tips for Deep Water Culture

1. Wash your hydroton before using it. I didn't do that in my first project and ended up with a film of clay dust throughout the water chamber in my deep water culture bins.

2. Adjust your lighting before planting. It's very difficult to make adjustments after you've planted when using deep water culture.

3. Use a commercially produced nutrient. DIY is great for most things, but why not take advantage of professional research and development to flatten the initial hydroponic learning curve?

4. Shop around for the best prices. Some hydroponic shops are "friendlier" than others and it follows that some have lower prices than the competition.

5. DIY is cheaper than paying full retail for a "kit" system. You can look around on the Internet and find several examples at inexpensive, but effective hydroponic growing systems you can assemble yourself.

About Us

We grow vegetables in Earthboxes, in raised beds, in the backyard, aquaponically, hydroponically, and in the basement.

We grew up in rural communities where land was vast and plentiful. As kids, we worked in the family vegetable garden. We have relocated to suburbia, but we haven't given up on growing our own food. It saves money. It's great exercise. And, it's an activity we do together. Thanks for joining us.

French Angora Rabbits Wanted

My wife and I are in search of two French Angora rabbits approximatley 1 year old (or less). If you have some rabbits for sale (or know someone who does), please contact us. We live 20 minutes west of Detroit on I-94.